title: Semen quality in relation to antioxidant intake in a healthy male population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between dietary antioxidant intake and semen quality in young healthy males.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University and college campuses in the Rochester, New York, area.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eighty-nine university-aged men.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semen volume, total sperm count, concentration, motility, total motile count, and morphology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Progressive motility was 6.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6, 12.3) percentage units higher among men in the highest quartile of β-carotene intake compared with men in the lowest quartile. Similar results were observed for lutein intake. Lycopene intake was positively related to sperm morphology. The adjusted percentages (95% CI) of morphologically normal sperm in increasing quartiles of lycopene intake were 8.0 (6.7, 9.3), 7.7 (6.4, 9.0), 9.2 (7.9, 10.5), and 9.7 (8.4, 11.0). There was a nonlinear relationship between vitamin C intake and sperm concentration, with men in the second quartile of intake having, on average, the highest sperm concentrations and men in the top quartile of intake having the lowest concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a population of healthy young men, carotenoid intake was associated with higher sperm motility and, in the case of lycopene, better sperm morphology. Our data suggest that dietary carotenoids may have a positive impact on semen quality.
authors.affiliation: Masters of Public Health Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Urology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zareba
authors.forename: Daniela S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Colaci
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Afeiche
authors.forename: Audrey J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gaskins
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mendiola
authors.forename: Shanna H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Swan
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Chavarro
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012661:Semen / Q000166:cytology*; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants
keywords: Infertility; antioxidants; diet; sperm quality parameters; vitamins